Relationships are complicated! But watching how other couples cope with them is much more fun. Yahoo! Maktoob's "Nossy El Helw" does just that!

Yahoo! Maktoob [2]announced the debut of a new Arabic Web series titled Nossy El Helw as part of its Ramadan offering for this year. The show is an original online reality program that delves into the lives of five couples from across the Arab world as they navigate through the different phases of their relationships from meeting, to marriage, to starting a family. Episodes can be viewed on Helwa (http://maktoob.helwa.yahoo.com[3]) as well as Yahoo! Maktoob Screen (http://maktoob.screen.yahoo.com[4]).

Amira Rashad, Head of Media, Yahoo! Maktoob, said, “We’re very excited to be bringing this new original reality program with such a concept to our regional audience. Helwa is a hugely popular destination on our Yahoo! Maktoob network, which has a big emphasis on couples, and we hope that Nossy El Helw will further enrich that experience. “

She added, “At Yahoo! Maktoob, we have been building our original video programming with a focus on the region, and it’s important that we ensure that we offer diverse content to address the different needs of our audience as we make their daily habits online more inspiring and entertaining.”

Nossy El Helw

The 30-episode reality show covers different themed segments focusing on marriage and relationships across the Arab world, from first encounters to having kids to growing old together. Married couples talk candidly about their experiences together and what makes their relationships real, subjects that are seldom discussed in Arab media. The show also profiles new themes around marriage in the region such as meeting on social media and dual income couples.

As part of these different segments, Nossy El Helw follows the different stories of the featured couples, including how they met and what their marriage proposals looked like, with a view of the different wedding customs and traditions across the Middle East. Couples also open up about their fears and apprehensions as they first got married, their different perspectives on married life, and what creates wedded bliss.

The show also covers family topics based on the couples’ experiences, where they share their views on the importance of togetherness and family traditions. The couples also talk about their own children and thoughts on family life and what values they instill in their kids.

Amira Rashad added, “We see quite a few diverse view points on relationships and marriage from couples from across our region, and the show ultimately brings them together in an interesting and entertaining way that we hope our audiences will truly enjoy.”

Nossy El Helw was produced in collaboration with Olive Tree Productions.

Nossy El Helw comes as part of Yahoo! Maktoob’s line-up for Ramadan, bringing audiences in the region inspiring, informative, and entertaining content throughout the month of Ramadan. Leveraging the premium content from across its lifestyle, entertainment, and video properties, Yahoo! Maktoob is tailoring the content from these properties to focus on the topics that interest people most during the month of fasting, including food, health, and the best in TV entertainment.